In 2003, Calvary Way Ministries took a good look around. The congregation had children with special learning needs that were slipping through the cracks in public school and not given the attention they needed. At the same time, they had plenty of educational expertise right in their own congregation! So they took the leap and started Calvary Way Academy. That first year, they expected an enrollment of about 12 students. Actual enrollment that year was close to 50! There was a great need for such a school in Kilgore, Texas as an alternative to public school. Now, the school serves the whole community, not just the church that started it.

Learning in Calvary Way Academy is both structured and independent. The Academy uses Alpha Omega Publications' diagnostic tests to determine skill levels, and subsequently provides LIFEPAC and/or Horizons lessons to each student by grade level as indicated by the testing. Rachel Allen is both the Administrator and the High School Instructor. Kids from 9th to 12th grades spend the day with her and her aides in one classroom. The classroom is highly structured, with each grade level working simultaneously, one subject at a time. Rachel and her aides help those who struggle so no one falls behind. At the same time, each child can move ahead as fast as he wants. In fact, there are rewards for moving ahead! Getting good grades, finishing work, and even doing community service can earn a student points and privileges (such as extra breaks or free periods) throughout the week. Switched-On Schoolhouse^® makes this possible, as it gives the students the ability to work ahead independently at their own pace, while at the same time giving teachers the ability to monitor and restrict students when it comes to tests and quizzes.

This type of independent, free study lends itself to another advantage: early graduation. So far at Calvary Way Academy, several students have graduated a semester or even a whole year early, including one student who is slated to do so this year. When a student expresses the desire to graduate early, Rachel Allen and the other staff set up a plan and present to the student the requirements and schedule to reach that goal. If the student agrees, the staff supports that student and helps him reach the goal.

Calvary Way Academy is much more than academics. It is a support system for families. It is a witness, a light on a hill. The school has a goal: that each child coming to it succeeds. Three years ago, a student with Asperger's Syndrome came to Calvary Way. He had been bullied and mocked in public school and was afraid even to raise his hand during class. Now, this same shy child is friends with everyone, and not only that, is getting straight A's in every subject!

The love that Christ taught us manifests itself in this school. What an example for all educators. Love and concern for "the least of these" is a high and humbling calling. May this school encourage you and strengthen you in your efforts to serve Jesus' little lambs.